Seat slide assembly



Sept. 13, 1938. J. 1'. ATWOOD ET AL- SEAT SLIDE ASSEMBLY Filed June 4, 1936 I I 1 uuh llll Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES FATE T OFFiCE.

Crabb, Detroit, Mich,

assignors to The Atwood Vacuum Machine Company, Rockford, 111., a copartnership composed of Seth B. Atwood and James T. Atwood Application June 4, 1

20 Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable seats especially designed and adapted for use in vehicles such as automobiles, and has particular reference to an improved seat slide assembly.

The principal object of our invenution is to provide a seat slide of stamped sheet metal construction throughout for lightness and economy, while still possessing the requisite strength and rigidity.

The salient feature of our invention is the provision of sheet metal links as tie members or fasteners to hold the parts of the assembly together, the same being arranged to be inserted through the assembly and then twisted to fasten the parts permanently in assembled relation. In the twisting of these ties there is a certain shortening in length suiiicient to cause the parts to be drawn together tightly to eliminate undesired play, and in accordance with our invention a part of the assembly has inclined cam surfaces formed thereon on which the crossheads on the ties are arranged to ride as the ties are twisted, whereby to provide for the desired variation in the amount of slack take-up as required due to such slight discrepancies in size and fit of the parts as will occur in quantity production.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figs. 1 and 2 are a plan view and side view, respectively, of a seat slide made in accordance with our invention;

Figs. 3 and 5 are cross-sections on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 2 on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the tie members, and

Figs. '7 and 8 are perspective views showing the 40 ends of the two side channel members of the assembly showing one of the keyhole slots provided in one of these members, and the cam formations in connections with the keyhole slots in the other member.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The seat slide assembly with which our invention is concerned is indicated generally by the reference numeral l0. There are two such slides provided in connection with each seat, attached to the bottom of the seat by means of bolts II or in any other suitable manner, and secured to and supported upon the floor l2 on legs l3, suitably of hollow sheet metal construction. Each slide comprises upper and lower longitudinal mem- 936, Serial No. 83,574

bers I4 and Hi, the member I4 carrying the bolts H previously mentioned, and the member l5 being secured in any suitable manner to the legs l3 as by rivets Hi. The longitudinal members provide channels I! therein in which rotary spacing means operate to maintain the members in a normal spaced relationship. In the present case, the spacing means are rollers l8 having gears l9 therebetween meshing in longitudinally spaced holes 20 provided therefor in the members l4 and 10 I5, whereby to maintain the rollers at the front and rear of the seat in the same longitudinally spaced relation in any position of adjustment of the seat. In that way the seat is assured of the same easy movement from any position of ad- 15 justment. The lever, indicated at 2| as pivoted on the member M at 22 and having a lug 23 projecting from the free end thereof, is arranged to be urged normally in a counterclockwise direction by the wire spring 24 to lock the member M in adjusted position by engagement of the lug 23 in any one of a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches (not shown) provided therefor in the member [5. Incidentally, this spring, being anchored in the member [4, as indicated in Fig. 1, and being carried on the tie member 28 mounted in the sheet metal channel members 25 and 26, serves to lock the channel members 25 and 26 to the member l4 to move back and forth with the seat, relative to the other member l5. When the seat is to be adjusted the lever 2i must be moved against the action of the spring 2 3 so as to disengage the lug 23 from the notch, whereupon the member I4 is free to slide endwise with respect to the member l5 in either direction. When the seat is in the desired position, the lever 2! is released and automatically seeks locking position.

In accordance with our invention, the longitudinal members It and I5 are stamped from sheet metal to provide outwardly projecting longitudinal flanges l4 and I5, respectively, and the sheet metal channel members 25 and 26 receive these flanges in the channels thereof so as to hold the longitudinal members l4 and I5 against displacement from assembled relationship. It therefore requires only a couple of tie members 21 and 28 holding the channel members 25 and 26 in fixed spaced relationship to complete the assembly. These tie members or links 21 and 28 are, for the sake of economy, stamped from sheet metal, which also permits easily twisting these parts in the manner herein disclosed for a quick and easy method of assembling, and yet one which eliminates any likelihood of the parts working loose afterward. The thought is to simply insert these fasteners crosswise through the assembly and then twist the same so that the crossheads a and b at opposite ends will be brought closer together as a result of the twist in the metal and accordingly force the channel members 25 and 26 toward each other, the heads b at the same time being moved out of register with the slots through which they were previously passed, so as to lock the parts in assembled relation. A further thought is to have the crosshead b ride on inclined cam surfaces 29 in the twisting of these fasteners whereby to not only give an increased take-up in the matter of bringing the members 25 and 26 together, but also provide for such Variation in the amount of take-up as may be found necessary or desirable in different seat slide assemblies, due to slight discrepancies in size and fit of the parts as is apt to arise in quantity production. Now it will be seen that the keyhole slots 30 and 3! in the members 25 and 25, respectively, must of necessity be large enough to permit passing the head b therethrough, and that the head a must be slightly wider than the head b in order that one end of the fasteners will be anchored in the slots 30 when the other ends are projected through the slots iii. The enlargement 32 on the fasteners next to the heads a serves to hold the fasteners at one end against turning so that the other ends can be twisted. The oppositely inclined cam formations on opposite sides of the slots 35, best illustrated in Fig. 8, are formed by pressure between dies, and it is obvious that as the heads b are turned by means of pliers or otherwise, one end of each head rides outwardly on the one incline, while the other end is riding outwardly on the other incline. That accordingly quickly draws the member 2% inwardly toward the member 25, and unneccesary clearance between the parts l4-l52526 is eliminated, and only enough clearance is left for easy working back and forth of the seat. The workman quickly learns to gauge the twisting of these fasteners 2'!2B so as not to twist too far and cause the seat slide parts to bind. If through carelessness a fastener 21 or 28 is twisted too much, the binding of the parts can be easily remedied by turning one or both of the heads I) back a trifle. The fact that all unnecessary play is eliminated naturally means that the seat slides are not apt to rattle in service. If a rattle develops due to wear, the play can be taken up easily by twisting the fasteners 2'|28 a trifle.

The only difference between the fasteners 2'! and 28 is that the head a on the fastener 28 is enlarged and perforated to provide a support for the latch lever 2| as illustrated in Fig. 5.

We claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a slide assembly for a sliding seat mounting comprising parallel upper and lower longitudinal members destined for attachment to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, both of said members having opposed outwardly projecting longitudinal flanges, the corresponding flanges of said members being in vertically spaced parallel relation, channel members receiving said longitudinal flanges in the channels thereof whereby to hold said longitudinal members in assembled relation, and connecting links extending crosswise between the flanges of said longitudinal members through transversely aligned slots provided therefor in the opposed channel members, said links having crossheads on the ends thereof, the head on one end of each link being small enough to pass through the registering slots and the head on the other end being too large to pass through and being furthermore formed to fit in the adjacent slot so as to prevent turning of the link, all of said links being entered in the slots so as to be held by the larger heads against turning and so that the smaller heads project from the respectively opposite side of the assembly, and said links being twisted so as to dispose the smaller heads crosswise relative to the adjacent slots.

2. As an article of manufacture, a slide assembly for a sliding seat mounting comprising parallel upper and lower longitudinal members destined for attachment to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, both of said members having opposed outwardly projecting longitudinal flanges, the corresponding flanges of said members being in vertically spaced parallel relation, channel members receiving said longitudinal flanges in the channels thereof whereby to hold said longitudinal members in assembled relation, and twistable tie members entered through registering slots provided therefor in said channel members, the tie members having crossheads on the ends thereof which in the twisting of said members are turned out of register with the slots.

3. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 1 wherein the channel member through which the small heads project has cam surfaces provided thereon adjacent the slots therein, so formed and related to the slots whereby in the twisting of the links the heads slide on said surfaces and draw the two channel members toward one another.

4. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 2 wherein at least one of the channel members has cam surfaces provided thereon adjacent the slots therein, so formed and related to the slots whereby in the twisting of the tie members the heads slide on said surfaces and draw the two channel members toward one another.

5. As an article of manufacture, a slide assembly for a sliding seat mounting comprising parallel upper and lower longitudinal members destined for attachment to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, both of said members having opposed outwardly projecting longidinal flanges, the corresponding flanges of said members being in vertically spaced parallel relation, channel members receiving said longitudinal flanges in the channels thereof whereby to hold said longitudinal members in assembled relation, and flat elongated sheet metal cross members extending between the flanges of the longitudinal members through transversely aligned slots provided therefor in the opposed channel members, said cross members having crossheads on the ends thereof, the head on one end of each of said cross members being small enough to pass through the registering slots and the head on the other end being too large to pass through but being formed to fit in the adjacent slot so as to prevent turning of the member, all of said cross members being entered in the slots so as to be held by the larger heads against turning, and the smaller heads projecting from the respectively opposite sides of the assembly and providing means for twisting said members so as to dispose the smaller heads crosswise relative to the adjacent slots.

6. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising upper and lower members having outwardly projecting longitudinal flanges, opposed side members fitting over said flanges, and twistable fasteners entered through regis- 8. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and connecting links extending crosswise between the upper and lower members through transversely aligned slots provided therefor in the opposed side members, said links having crossheads on the ends thereof, the head on one end of each link being small enough to pass through the registering slots and the head on the other end being too large to pass through and being furthermore formed to fit in the adjacent slot so as to prevent turning of the link, all of said links being entered in the slots so as to be held by the larger heads against turning and so that the smaller heads project from the respectively opposite side of the assembly, and said links being twisted so as to dispose the smaller heads crosswise relative to the adjacent slots.

9. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 8 wherein the side member through which the smaller heads project has cam surfaces pro vided thereon adjacent the slots therein, so formed and related to the slots whereby in the twisting of the links the heads slide on said surfaces and draw the two side members toward one another.

10. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and twistable tie members entered through registering slots provided therefor in said side members, the tie members having orossheads on the ends thereof which in the twisting of said members are turned out of register with the slots.

11. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 10 wherein at least one of the side members has cam surfaces provided thereon adjacent the slots therein, so formed and related to the slots whereby in the twisting of the tie members the heads slide on said surfaces and draw the two side members toward one another.

12. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and flat elongated twistable cross members extending between the upper and lower members through transversely aligned slots, provided therefor in the opposed side members, said cross members when so disposed being nonrotatable at one end with respect to one side member and also having abutment therewith preventing endwise movement inwardly relative thereto, the cross members being rotatable at the other end with respect to the other side member and being twisted to lock the last-mentioned ends of said cross members to the last-mentioned side member whereby to interlock the two side members in assembled relation with the upper and lower members.

13. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 12, wherein the twisted ends of the cross members and the related side member are so constructed relative to one another whereby in the twisting of said cross members a wed-ging action is secured between the interengaged surfaces of the cross members and side member, whereby to cause the opposed side members to be drawn toward one another.

14. An article of manufacture as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least one of the interengag- H ing surfaces on the cross members and side mem-' ber in the twisting of the cross members are inclined so as to secure a cam. action causing the opposed side members to be drawn toward one another more and more according to the extent of twisting of said cross members.

15. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and one or more cross-ties extending from. one side member to the other between the upper and lower members serving to hold the side members against outward displacement relative to one another, whereby to maintain the same in assembled relation to the upper and lower members.

16. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and one or more cross members of distortable material secured to one side member and extending between the upper and lower members through the other side member and having the projecting end thereof distorted after entry through the last named side member, whereby to secure the side members against displacement from. assembled relation to the upper and lower members.

1'7. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, and fasteners extending between the upper and lower members from one side member through the other side member, said fasteners and said side members having provisions for tightening said fasteners so as to draw said side members toward each other and secure the same against displacement from assembled relation to the upper and lower members.

18. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, one or more cross-ties extending from iii) one side member to the other between the upper and lower members serving to hold the side members against outward displacement relative to one another, whereby to maintain the same in assembled relation to the upper and lower members, the side members being movable longitudinally relative to the lower member with the upper member, and a locking device carried on the outer end of one of said cross-ties and arranged to be detachably engaged with the lower member selectively in any one of a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment with respect to said lower member, whereby to lock the upper and lower members in adjusted relation.

19. As an article of manufacture, a seat slide assembly comprising parallel upper and lower members adapted to be secured to a seat and the floor therebeneath, respectively, spaced side members on opposite sides of said upper and lower members and interlocked therewith in assembled relation, one or more cross-ties extending from one side member to the other between the upper and lower members serving to hold the side members against outward displacement relative to one another, whereby to maintain the same in assembled relation to the upper and lower members, the side members being movable with one of said upper and lower members longitudinally relative to the other of said upper and lower members, and a locking device carried on the outer end of one of said cross-ties and arranged to be detachably engaged with the last named one of said upper and lower members selectively in any one of a plurality of positions of longitudinal adjustment with respect to the first named one of said upper and lower members, whereby to lock the upper and lower members in adjusted relation.

20. In a sliding and locking seat support, in combination with a pair of opposed and relatively slidable channeled longitudinal members having interposed anti-friction means, of flanges projecting outwardly from opposite sides of both members, channeled side pieces fitting over both of said flanges on both sides of said members, said side pieces being movable endwise with one of said channeled longitudinal members and slidable relative to the side flanges of the other of said channeled longitudinal members, means to lock said side pieces against endwise movement from adjusted position relative to the last named channeled longitudinal member, and twistable ties extending from one of said side pieces crosswise between said channeled longitudinal members and engaging in openings provided in the other side piece, said ties being twistable more or less so as to draw said side pieces toward each other accordingly and vary the operating clearance left between said side pieces and the side flanges of the longitudinal member relative to which said side pieces are slidable.

JAMES T. ATW'OOD. DONALD E. CRABB. 

